Gold Coast

Gold Coast is an affluent urban neighborhood on Chicago’s Lake Michigan shoreline.

Welcome to Gold Coast

Affluent neighborhood on the scenic shores of Lake Michigan

Gold Coast is an affluent urban neighborhood on Chicago’s Lake Michigan shoreline. The neighborhood’s scenic lakeshore setting first found popularity among the city’s elite in the late 19th century, with some of these grand original mansions still existing today. Gold Coast’s landmark properties include the original Playboy Mansion. More recent decades have seen the addition of luxurious condominiums in high-rise towers with stunning views over Chicago and Lake Michigan. Gold Coast is a hip neighborhood with trendy upscale restaurants and boutiques and is close to many more shopping and dining options lining Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

What to Love

  • World-class shopping and dining
  • Central Chicago location
  • Gorgeous historic properties
  • Beautiful lakeshore views

People & Lifestyle

Gold Coast is a centrally located neighborhood with easy access to all of Chicago’s most popular shopping, dining, entertainment, and employment districts. This neighborhood offers a refined lifestyle with gorgeous historic architecture and stunning lakeshore views. Few neighborhoods can compete with Gold Coast’s upscale amenities and exquisite architecture.

Dining, Entertainment & Shopping

Gold Coast residents enjoy access to some of Chicago’s premier shopping and dining right at their doorstep. Many major fashion labels have stores and boutiques in the neighborhood. Italian design house Versace opened a concept boutique on North Rush Street in 2016, which features mosaic floors modeled after 9th-century Byzantine designs. Customers enjoy exceptional personalized service while browsing the store’s collection of high-end fashion items.

The two-story Chanel Chicago opened on upscale Oak Street in 2019. This stylish boutique is stocked with Chanel’s unique designer clothing, distinctive fragrances, and exquisite jewelry pieces.

Water Tower Place is an upscale shopping mall located just south of the Gold Coast neighborhood on Michigan Avenue’s famous Magnificent Mile shopping street. Water Tower Place houses dozens of well-known fashion brands, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Forever 21, Francesca’s, Pandora, Sephora, Soma, and Victoria’s Secret. A Macy’s department store anchors retail at this nine-story mixed-use tower. Water Tower Place is named after the nearby Chicago Water Tower, an imposing work of Gothic Revival architecture that was completed in 1869 and was one of few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Gold Coast dining options are of a similarly high standard to the neighborhood’s shopping. Michelin Guide-featured and Zagat-rated steakhouse Maple & Ash serves delicious steaks and seafood in a chic setting with a semi-open kitchen and a wood-fired oven. Meals at Maple & Ash are crafted by two Michelin-starred chef Danny Grant and paired with a wine list described by Wine Spectator as one of the most outstanding in the entire world.

Things to Do

Gold Coast is conveniently located for accessing all of Chicago’s most anticipated annual events. Chicago Air &Water Show takes place along the Lake Michigan shoreline in August. This spectacular display of planes and ships lasts two days and attracts more than two million spectators.

Taste of Chicago, the world’s largest food festival, runs over five days in July. This event allows millions of attendees to sample the most exquisite food from some of Chicago’s best restaurants. The festivities also include live music performances on various stages around the city. Since the first Taste of Chicago in 1980, the illustrious list of performers has included Stevie Wonder, Santana, Phil Collins, George Clinton, Kenny Rogers, Elvis Costello, Weezer, Billy Idol, and The Isley Brothers.

February’s Chicago Auto Show is the largest and longest-running car convention in North America. First held in 1901, the auto show showcases more than 1,000 automobiles ranging from passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs to experimental concept vehicles. Participating brands include many of the most famous automobile manufacturers from the United States and around the world.

Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade in mid-March is one of the largest in the world. Huge crowds gather to see the parade’s procession through Downtown Chicago and watch the traditional green dyeing of the Chicago River.

Schools

Gold Coast is served by the City of Chicago School District 299. Highlights include:

  • Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Public, Magnet, 9-12
  • GEMS World Academy Chicago, Private, PK-12
  • Chicago Academy for the Arts, Private, 9-12
  • School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Higher Education

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